Momma knows best

Love Cafe provides soul food on two levels

STOCKTON - A hot summer day prompted a craving for some down-home Cajun food for one of us, and barbecue for another. We were too lazy to get out the grill so we decided to check out Love Cafe, which we had wanted to try since its 2009 debut.

STOCKTON - A hot summer day prompted a craving for some down-home Cajun food for one of us, and barbecue for another. We were too lazy to get out the grill so we decided to check out Love Cafe, which we had wanted to try since its 2009 debut.

There's nothing fancy about the appearance of the café, but love is everywhere: Heart decorations are peppered throughout, roses adorn the table and, the best part, laughter and smiles come from a glowing Barbara Duncan - adoringly known as Momma Love.

As if you're coming home to eat, she is eager to feed your belly and your heart. Gospel music plays softly and when she speaks, you instantly feel at peace with Momma. We thought other patrons were regulars by the interaction and the conversations with Momma. Turns out they had all come in for the first time, except one man in the corner.

The menu had great variety and we were surprised by the ample seafood options. We ordered a rib dinner that came with five spare ribs, two sides and a corn muffin ($14.99). We chose the greens and red beans and rice. We also ordered the catfish po-boy ($7.25), a cheeseburger ($4.50) and an 8 oz. side of Creole gumbo ($10). The dessert list had hefty favorites and traditional sweets ($3.50). We ordered the hummingbird cake and New Orleans rum bread pudding.

We could smell everything cooking as we anxiously awaited. We couldn't believe how Momma still had a smile and calmness to her while running the whole place.

Two guys came in and showed Momma some love, then ordered the mac and cheese. It seemed to be a patron favorite and we wished we had ordered it.

Our order arrived quickly and looked beautiful - save for the gumbo.

Now, it may just be from lack of experience that we could not fully appreciate the gumbo. The color was intimidating and the texture left us a little uncertain.

So we put it off to the end of the meal, but surprisingly it was still steaming. Hesitant to gulp it up, we each went for it at the same time. Impressive! Decent-size shrimp, several oysters, and clams were mixed in the gumbo and topped with white rice. The thick broth was full of herbs and spices and finished with a nice kick of peppers.

The barbecue sauce on the ribs was a rich, dark reddish brown. It was tangy and sweet with a perfect smoky taste. The tender meat was practically falling off the bone.

The Cajun beans were a little spicy and herby but not overpowering. The collard greens had nice texture and weren't soggy. The catfish of the po-boy had an even amount of crunchy batter that was only slightly seasoned to make room for the flavor of the side of gravy to slather on. The bread was soft but cold. It would have been better warmed a little.

The cheeseburger was moist and juicy and medium in size. The meat was definitely hand-pressed with spices rubbed in.

The corn muffin was addictively buttery and sweetened with a hint of honey.

The hummingbird cake had chunks of pineapple, pecans and bananas, and was topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. What ended the night perfectly was the bread pudding. This portion size was great for the price, but what really made it special was the rum sauce. It was sweet and didn't have an overpowering flavor of alcohol.

The next day for lunch, the leftovers made a nice combination and were just as good or better since perhaps the Cajun rubs had more time to set into the food.

We're definitely going back home to Momma's.

(Side note: Duncan is a native of Louisiana and a career restaurateur. One Sunday a month, she cooks up lunches for at least 80 people at the Stockton Shelter for the Homeless.)